BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle RoyaleReview

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What was once great is now...not so great.

By Ryan Clements

The original BlazBlue titles are some of my favorite fighting games of all time. The recent launch of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift reminded me of the quality work that developer ARC System Works is capable of when crafting an intricate fighter with wildly eccentric characters and killer visuals. But somewhere along the line, someone thought that this franchise needed a super cute alternative. So BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale was born and is now available as Nintendo DSiWare download.

BlayzBloo is a button-masher that borrows five characters from the original games (Ragna, Jin, Noel, Rachel and Taokaka) and shrinks them down into chibi proportions. These lil' characters then do battle on small arenas inspired by the BlazBlue stages.

The gameplay in BlayzBloo is nothing like its predecessors. Each of the five characters can attack, jump, execute a very simple Drive attack (special attacks unique to the BlazBlue universe), and use an item. Players run around these little 3D arenas and pummel three other characters to win. There are different objectives depending on what mode of play is selected.

At least Noel is still adorable.

Life play, for example, is a traditional battle royale game type where the last man (or gal) standing is victorious. In Point play, players pound on their rivals to steal their points; the player with the highest point count at the end of the match wins. Lastly, Flag matches task players with holding onto a special flag during the heat of battle. The player holding the flag at the battle's conclusion is declared the winner.

That's really all there is to BlayzBloo. You run up to your three enemies, pound on them with the Y button and occasionally use a Drive attack with A. There's no block button, which means you generally need to jump or run away in order to avoid being hit, but often times the AI players will gang up on you and shower you with attacks. You can opt to fight against other human players, but that doesn't really change the game's serious lack of strategy.

If you're interested in the single-player experience, you can "beat" BlayzBloo in about ten minutes. Not kidding. And considering this game is five dollars, I'd say there are a lot better ways to spend your money -- like putting five dollars towards purchasing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift!

The Verdict

There is, admittedly, some charm to be found in the chibi versions of all the characters, but BlayzBloo just isn't worth downloading. For five dollars, the game is dreadfully short on content and the gameplay gets old very quickly. There's no sense of progression to be found and no feeling of reward after winning a match. Even diehard BlazBlue fans won't find much to enjoy here.

I honestly encourage people to put the five dollars towards BlazBlue: Continuum Shift instead. It's a vastly superior game, and a better representation of the BlazBlue universe.